"The Voorman Problem" deals with a psychiatrist charged with examining a most problematic patient. This short movie is very well acted, which, I think, represents its main charm. Still, "The Voorman Problem" struck me as disquieting rather than funny, partially because it seemed to posit the idea of a malignant God who expects humans to "entertain" him. (Think of a Roman emperor watching a handful of gladiators.) This is not a concept likely to brighten one's day. Another reason why this short made me gnash my teeth is the fact that I'm a Belgian.
While prosperous and densely populated Belgium isn't all that large, meaning that a lot of geography-challenged foreigners struggle with either the notion of its existence or else its location. As a result most Belgians regularly find themselves in a position where they have to explain, slowly and carefully, that "Belgium" is not the name of the color situated between violet and blue. Some unfortunate Belgians are even obliged to give this explanation on a daily basis, which does nothing for their mental equilibrium. In extreme cases people can even run into difficulty, witness what happened to my former professor of Economics. (This incident dates back several decades.) While visiting the USA as a tourist, he walked into a small rural bank where he tried to withdraw some money. There he found himself accused of fraud. The professor asked for an atlas so that he could prove the existence of Belgium, but then he discovered that the atlas handed to him was a shoddily printed thing. It did not contain a recognizable Belgium, only the words "Brussel/Bruxelles" printed over the general region separating the Netherlands from France. The poor soul left the bank sans money, with the admonitions of the cashiers ringing in his ears.
Now add in the condescension of larger nations and the imperial ambitions of certain enemies - such as the Nazis during World War II - and yes, around this part of the world we have grown familiar with attempts to ignore or change our borders. So this "Walloon lagoon" business isn't all that original. It isn't all that clever either. Rather, it reflects non-clever attributes like pride, laziness, malice or ignorance. From a short shot anno 2011 one might expect something better.
While prosperous and densely populated Belgium isn't all that large, meaning that a lot of geography-challenged foreigners struggle with either the notion of its existence or else its location. As a result most Belgians regularly find themselves in a position where they have to explain, slowly and carefully, that "Belgium" is not the name of the color situated between violet and blue. Some unfortunate Belgians are even obliged to give this explanation on a daily basis, which does nothing for their mental equilibrium. In extreme cases people can even run into difficulty, witness what happened to my former professor of Economics. (This incident dates back several decades.) While visiting the USA as a tourist, he walked into a small rural bank where he tried to withdraw some money. There he found himself accused of fraud. The professor asked for an atlas so that he could prove the existence of Belgium, but then he discovered that the atlas handed to him was a shoddily printed thing. It did not contain a recognizable Belgium, only the words "Brussel/Bruxelles" printed over the general region separating the Netherlands from France. The poor soul left the bank sans money, with the admonitions of the cashiers ringing in his ears.
Now add in the condescension of larger nations and the imperial ambitions of certain enemies - such as the Nazis during World War II - and yes, around this part of the world we have grown familiar with attempts to ignore or change our borders. So this "Walloon lagoon" business isn't all that original. It isn't all that clever either. Rather, it reflects non-clever attributes like pride, laziness, malice or ignorance. From a short shot anno 2011 one might expect something better.